Technology
The technological prowess of the Muralisian nations has been a dramatically shifting matter in recent decades, the race for information following the unification of the modern states and the subsequent extended conflict fueling scientific advancement. The zeal with which the Ghalean peoples in particular have forged ahead, in conjunction with the Corporate Tribunal of Kurtz, Cohen and Lehndorff-Abel, is to be praised, for in only a century the following breakthroughs have taken place: *'The Optical Telegraph' (152 AU) - Postulated originally by Lieutenant Septus Grünmann of Godrin, the concept of a network of structures fitted with a movable signing device visible at great distance by means of telescopes, expediting the process of communication considerably when compared to the couriers exclusively employed at the time. The functionality is simple, yet brilliant: the lead station manipulates two handles to manipulate a rig of steel affixed to the roof of the structure, creating signals which, upon being observed by the next post in the line, are repeated ad nauseam until the intended recipient has been satisfactorily apprised. As the War of the Vassals began to show signs of evolving from skirmishes to an extended conflict the plans for such a network were realized, enabling the Godrite forces to obtain intelligence at a rate far surpassing that of their Durantian adversaries, leading to heavy initial losses on the part of Durant. The technology was soon imitated by the Durantians and later Ghalea, and as recent as 255 AU naval communications ships, dreadnoughts equipped with a mobile telegraph, have established themselves in the waters between Brevig and Durant, with further naval networking proposed between Carmagh and Ghalea. *'The Steam Engine' (179 AU) - Perhaps the most important discovery of the age, the steam engine of Sir Walter Lorring of Durant has paved the way for numerous advances in all areas of life, permitting the scientific boom that followed. By way of the dramatically increased output of energy, processes ranging from smelting to transportation to bathing have evolved in once unthinkable ways. It is largely thanks to the steam engine that Durant achieved not just economic but martial dominance during the War of the Vassals, offering the technology at exorbitant fees to interested parties while jealously guarding the knowledge of production itself. The introduction of steam technology to the war would, over the next few decades, result in the repeated triumph of Durantian forces over the superior numbers and training of the Godrite infantry. *'The Steam Locomotive' (181 AU) - The first significant integration of steam technology in the public sphere was the appearance of the steam train and its picturesque tracks spinning a web over the countryside. This affordable mode of transportation outpaced the network of carriages and horses so familiar to the nations, enabling those facing great time constraints or illnesses rendering carriage travel unfavorable to move about with greater ease. More importantly at the time, it enabled the swift transfer of supplies to the front which, paired with improved production methods, rendered the Durantian army better equipped by far. *'The Rotary Press' (193 AU) - Often overlooked amidst the warships and flying machines of the steam age, the printing press profited greatly from the presence of steam-based energy. Replacing the hand-operated presses of old, unchanged in quite some time, the rotary press of Ghalea’s Murota University is capable of printing without direct manual labor upon a larger area and a considerably hastened pace. This breakthrough has enabled the mass production and distribution of textual materials, increasing the average literacy rates and levels of academic achievement throughout the nations. *'The Typewriter' (194 AU) - Closely related to the printing press, the personal typewriter was provided by Cohen Maxwell I before his founding of the Cohen Group and the resulting focus of Maxwell’s efforts upon firearms. The availability of document processing technology to the consumer paved the way for a widely accepted uniform system to be followed when composing documents important in nature, and allowed individuals desiring anonymity to carry out correspondence without fear of leaving identifying traces. *'The Percussion Cap Firearm' (206 AU) - Though originally invented by the Baron Benjamin Vincent Saint-Just of Durant, a sizable sum paid by the inchoate Cohen Group effected the separation of the first percussion cap pistol from Saint-Just to the corporations and, through their methods of production, the elites of society. Employing a strip of small brass caps containing fulminate of mercury, a hammer is pulled back upon applying pressure to the trigger, causing the hammer to strike the cap and, the impact igniting the fulminate, for the resulting fire to ignite the powder within the barrel and propel the ball. The capability of the cap to ignite regardless of weather and the strip array to permit repeated firing so long as one continually replaces priming cartridges marks a distinct improvement over the flintlock technology of the past. *'The Dreadnought' (210 AU) - Steel and steam engines, when combined and thrown onto the water, make for a remarkably imposing floating fortress. Steel ships had been conceived before, certainly, but it goes without saying that no number of sales is sufficient to propel such a goliath across the waves. With the aid of steam-powered propulsion, it became quite plausible for the Durantian navy to construct ships of unprecedented durability, devastating the wooden ships still used by the Godrite forces. The most famous dreadnought to date is His Majesty’s Ship the Regulus Abyssi, the ship of Admiral Carlyle Demarque of Durant. *'The Wax Cylinder Phonograph' (219 AU) - Another decidedly under-appreciated invention outside of the university, the wax-cylinder phonograph is the brainchild of Professor Robert B. Foster of Durant. While initially baffling to the layman, the process of engraving audio recordings readable by a specialized phonograph is simple enough, and invaluable to one seeking to record information while engaging in other tasks. It is of similar interest to one who thoroughly enjoys hearing one’s own voice, making it doubly valuable to the average University scholar. *'The Voltaic Dirigible '(230 AU) - Expanding upon early non-rigid dirigible technology and seizing the creative spirit encouraged by the advent of the steam engine and its effect on voltaic generation, Professor Morigan Belgrave of Ghalea’s Murota University conceived not only the implementation of the rigid-dirigible, but its augmentation with steam-powered propulsion mechanisms. The result is an unyielding frame, generally of aluminum composition, overlaid with a treated cloth. A secondary exoskeleton is fitted over the cloth, various nodes corresponding with linking points on the primary frame beneath. From the secondary frame extend ‘wings’ of a sort, each sporting a propulsion engine. Beneath the gaseous structure, and in some models affixed to the head as a sort of beak, is a cabin in which the crew, ranging from one to thirty individuals, may direct their course and oversee the pressure of the main body. While voltaic dirigibles, more commonly referred to as aerocrafts, are to be found in most major cities and aerodromes throughout the countryside, private ownership is uncommon and restricted to heads of state, corporate powers, and the fabulously wealthy. Those of moderate wealth falling somewhat short of ‘fabulous’ may acquire passes for the unlimited use of municipal crafts, and tickets for single trips may be purchased at one’s local aerodrome. *'The Steam Lift' (239 AU) - Deceptively important to modern architecture, the steam lift enabled the particularly ambitious builder to construct edifices of towering heights without leaving the top twenty floors empty, no reasonable person being willing to regularly ascend so many stairs. Consisting of nothing more than an alchemically regulated expulsion of steam beneath a platform in a narrow tube, the lift reliably permits controlled ascent and descent at remarkable speeds. The Kurtz Corporation is responsible for this breakthrough, having hollowed out Mount Amalion in Ghalea for use as a massive forge but lacking any way to move people in and out of the humbling depths. *'The Rebreather' (244 AU) - With the coming and going of the Monte Cristo Subaquatic Research Station off the coast of Regius, a slight interest remained in the scientific community where the sea is concerned. In one of his final masterstrokes of scientific prowess Robert Foster managed to create the compound Oxylithe, composed of sodium peroxide, which handily absorbs carbon dioxide while emitting oxygen. Integrating this substance into a harness of filtered pouches, Foster produced the first plausible rebreathing rig. By wearing a mask equipped with a tube and moving the tube from pouch to pouch as needed, one may recycle one’s breath (as the name suggests) for a moderate period of time. Naturally, the Oxylithe packets are finite and will cease to provide oxygen, necessitating the adjustment of the tube from time to time and, eventually, replenishment of one’s supplies. It has been put to use by the Durantian Ducal Navy and Ghalean exploratory leagues, and a specialized variant is employed by Carmaghi peoples when traversing the gaseous crater at the island’s center. *'The Collodion Plate Camera' (251 AU) - A delightful little invention, the collodion plate camera utilizes wet plates coated in a chemical compound which, when exposed to the proper glyphs, assumes the image of the light reflected upon it at the moment of runic ignition. This has enabled hobbyist photographers to produce more than one image in a month, which is no doubt a boon to all mankind. Weaponry Melee Weaponry There has been a considerable alteration in the ways of war since the introduction of firearms to the field. Gone are the plated knights of old, replaced by a need to be lighter, faster, more precise. This has not affected the popularity of melee weapons amongst soldiers and civilians alike, the latter able to find use for blades and bludgeons when unreliable firearms fail or magic wards prove too thick, and the latter for running one's rival through after a drunken evening. *Military Use - The Durantian army equips all soldiers with a blade of some sort. Marksmen of varying degrees are given short swords and daggers according to preference, and it is not uncommon to find lancers amongst the infantry. The common choice, of course, is the knight's longsword. In addition, all officers are expected to carry a saber denoting their rank. As to the men and women of the Godrite forces, bludgeons are in vogue. Short swords are also common, as are axes, and most officers can be expected to carry a claymore. *Civilian Use - The rapier has been especially fashionable amongst the dueling classes, and daggers are as prevalent as ever. The colichemarde is the sword of choice amongst the highest rungs of the Durantian nobility, while the Godrites, having outlawed dueling altogether, see dramatically reduced civilian use. Ranged Weaponry As has been stated, the firearms arrived with a great deal of fanfare. The longbows and crossbows of old have faded, and in time the flintlock firearms would follow. The percussion cap firearms of the Cohen Corporation have become all the rage, occupying the "kill them from across the square" niche quite admirably. Lehndorff-Abel has been attempting to break into the market by way of their recent controversial partnership with Murota University, an arrangement which placed the magic-integrated firearm within public reach, although just barely. The headmaster of Murota University only allows a limited number of magic-integrated pistols to be produced per annum, according to the contract, and the school receives a third of the profits. Needless to say, they have become a must have to the ludicrously wealthy and the martially-inclined. Though the prototype of the percussion cap pistol was sold to the Cohen Group, inventor Benjamin Saint-Just retained the original plans and, seeing the potential for improvement, fashioned a variety of handgun relying not upon chemical caps but instead upon an incomplete alchemical Forme inscribed upon the barrel. The hammer’s tip acts as the necessary glyph in completing the circuit, initiating an alchemic reaction which replaces the cap strips in igniting the powder. While the original Cohen percussion cap pistol was named Le Vincent in Benjamin’s honor, the Saint-Just Barony continued to quietly perfect the art of integrated alchemical firearms, the most recent model being The Metatron, a pistol fitted with a revolving wheel containing six primer cartridges. Accordingly, it make fire six times consecutively without requiring any attention. It is the personal firearm of the Archduke Erick Saint-Just of Durant. Neither magic-integration nor revolving barrel technology is widespread, the cost of production being exorbitant in the case of the former and the technology being jealously guarded by House Saint-Just in the latter. Category:Muralis Category:Reference